Jennifer Coolidge reveals her biggest career regret as an actress

Dec 25, 2023

Hollywood actress Jennifer CoolidgeKnown for her role as the hilariously eccentric Tanya McQuoid-Hunt on the hit TV series The White Lotus, opened for diversity about a career decision that she deeply regrets.

Reflecting on her ongoing Hollywood career, Coolidge admitted she became distracted at one point and revealed that regrets continue to haunt her.

Read on for more details.

Known for her impeccable comedic timing and ability to steal the limelight with her larger than life characters, Coolidge sat down as part of "Shameless" star Jeremy Allen White diversity‘s "Actor About Actor" interview series.

When asked by White if she took up acting to enable longevity, the actress admitted that her "fatal mistake" and one of her longtime regrets was starting without a strategy and not "on the wave." ride" that she had in the 1990s.

"Now that I’m old enough to look back on my life and certainly my mistakes, I see a lot of them. But I never had a strategy. I just went from job to job," she explained.

Coolidge continued, "I have to say I made the terrible mistake of not riding the wave I had early on. It was sort of in the ’90s when I had Legally Blonde, Best in Show, and American Pie. And then there was Cinderella Story and stuff like that."

In her conversation with White, the ‘Shotgun Wedding’ actress openly admitted that she wasn't "riding the wave" because she was being distracted by other commitments and personal matters at the time. As she reflected on that time, she realized the need for better focus and the ability to prioritize career opportunities.

"…But there was a moment. There was a wave I could have been riding, but I got distracted," the actress noted. As for the exact reason she was distracted, Coolidge said, "I started stalking guys."

She added: "I wasn't paying attention. I just thought I had my whole life. I never said, "I want to…" I got a few jobs, but I didn't have a plan. And I think that was a fatal mistake because later it took so long for things to get going. I look back and I’m like, "What was I thinking?" And then I bought a house in New Orleans and I was busy renovating it."

The Gravity Falls graduate opened up on her projection for The White Lotus Part 3 and shared her prediction of what will happen to (Tanya's husband) Greg, played by Jon Gries.

"I hope for Jon that he's not done with Greg. I hope there is some compensation for evil Greg. I think it should, I don't know, end up in a meat grinder," she said.

Coolidge also admitted that saying goodbye to her character on the series was challenging, as author Mike White was looking for a "great Italian operatic closure" and wanted her to die for many reasons.

"But I also think Tanya is a lot. Maybe in another season people would get fed up with her. Maybe people would say, ‘Oh my god. Get rid of Tanya!’" she admitted.

In the series, Coolidge's character, Tanya, dies after realizing Greg's murderous plans, leading them to a shootout on board a yacht, killing the group of gay men Greg had hired to kill her. She fell overboard and died after trying unsuccessfully to get to safety after the shooting spree.

When asked if she would film the scene, Coolidge said she will "never get on a boat again."

"I was scary because we shot it in order and we hung out with the guys," she said. "It felt real. I enjoyed killing them all."

"It's my clumsiness with the gun that I think really helped," Coolidge added. "We had to reshoot that several times. "Where's the gun? The inside of the bag is black. I can not find it.’ But it all felt real. When you’re on a boat, in the middle of the sea, and have nowhere to go, what if your castmates hate you? They might rush you. Anyone can get rid of you on a boat."